Ice cream scooper, motordriven

ABSTRACT

This invention is a hand held motor driven scooper intended to facilitate handling of frozen ice cream and at the same time form attractive spheres of same. The device is equipped with a half circle shaped arc at the end of a tube in which tube a rod is inserted and which rod can rotate with or separate from the tube. The half circle arc is equipped with extendable and retractable claws one on each side.  
     The other end of the tube including the rod is inserted in a hand held operating body which contain mechanical gear, drive motor, battery pack and a multifunction operating switch.  
     When the switch is operated the tube with rod and arc rotates together. When the top of the arc reaches the substance the switch is pushed further which causes the claws to extend during the rotation which is achieved by locking the rod whilst the tube and hence the arc rotates. Thus when the claws are fully extended a sphere is formed of the substance (i.e. ice cream). The switch is then pushed back to neutral position, the rotation stops and the sphere can be lifted with the device. When the sphere of the substance is positioned where wanted the switch is moved further backwards which causes the claws to retract because only the rod is rotating whilst the arc is standing still. The sphere is thus released.

[0001] Description: The invention is targeted to facilitate handling of and to achieve an attractive looking spherical scoop of frozen ice cream.

[0002] Refer to attached drawing:

[0003] The invention consists of a hand held device having room for the operational mechanism, an electric motor and also a battery pack if so operated. Alternatively direct connected to power outlet via cord and a voltage converter.

[0004] From the handheld body an extension (2) is provided and at which end a half circular body (1) is attached. Inside extension (2) a shaft (3) is located which can rotate inside item (2), supported by bearings item(4). The lower end of shaft (3) is equipped with a small gearwheel (5) which is connected to the two sliding half circular grip claws (6) which are partly fitted with gear teeth which are in connection with the gearwheel item (5). Thus when shaft (3) is rotating, or item (2) is rotating and shaft (3) locked, the claws are forced to either extend out of item (1) or retract back to original position as decided by the operator using a single slide switch (not shown). FIG. (8) shows top view of item (1) with grip claws retracted and FIG. (9) shows same but with grip claws in fully extended position. Item (7) is providing side support for the claws. Cut view A-A shows how the grip claws are held in position within item (1).

[0005] The upper part of item (2) is equipped with a gearwheel (23) connected to gearwheel (17), which is free rolling on shaft (24). The upper part of item (3) is fitted with a locking disc (15) and a gearwheel (10), which is connected to the free rolling gearwheel unit (20) via intermediate gearwheels (16). Gear unit (20) is supported by the thrust collar (21), which is attached to shaft (24).

[0006] The sliding operational wheel (18) is connected to the shaft (24) via splines and can thus be moved forward or aft of its neutral position whilst rotating with the shaft (24). Each end of Item (18) and corresponding end of gear wheels (17) and (20) are equipped with a clutch device Item (25). The shaft (24) is connected to the electric motor (13) via gear wheel (12).

[0007] Operation: The unit is equipped with a sliding knob having a “fork” operating in the center peripheral slot on item (18). Thus item (18) can be moved longitudinally on shaft (24) whilst the shaft is rotating. Furthermore the knob is linked to rod item (26).

[0008] To start the operation item (1) is placed on top of the ice cream and the knob is moved forward until item (18) clutches in with item (17). Further forward movement causes switch (22) to engage and the motor drives the whole unit (2) and (3) together and carving its way through the substance. When top of item (1) is embedded in the substance the knob is moved further forward causing the rod (14) via pivoting arm (11) to lock in to item (15). This means that shaft (3) is locked whilst item (2) is still rotating.

[0009] This will cause the claws to gradually move to full extension during the rotation and thus forming a complete sphere. By returning the knob to neutral position the motor will stop and the ice cream sphere is lifted out of the substance and held where the sphere is to be disposed off. By moving the operating knob aft wards the clutch on item (18) will engage with clutch part on item (20) and the motor will start because at the same time switch (22) is reconnected to the circuit, only item (3) will rotate via the gearwheel combination and the claws will then retract and thus releasing the sphere. The operating knob is spring loaded both ways and held in neutral position by the spring forces when not in operation.

[0010] The clutch will slip if/when excessive forces which may overload the motor should occur. Shafts item (2) and (3) can be made detachable from the operating unit. 

1. Handheld operating body to which a tube with an independent rotating rod inside is located which tube is attached to the operating body in one end and attached to a half circular arc shaped body in the other end to which are two extendable and retractable claws shaped to move alongside the surface of the arc are attached having the function that when fully extended the arc together with the claws forming a circle shaped body which when the tube rotation is activated by the operator forming a sphere of the substance in which it is working.
 2. Device as per claim 1 having more than one arc shaped body attached to the tube positioned at and angle in relation to each other to which at least one arc extendable and retractable claws are attached.
 3. Rod as according claim 1 to which a gear wheel is attached at the end where the arc shaped body is located and where the gearwheel operates corresponding gear teeth on the claws thus able to extend or retract the claws depending on direction actual or relative of rotation of the rod versus the arc.
 4. Handheld body as per claim 1 incorporating an operating switch with clutch and an electric motor with battery pack and to which a cord can be permanently attached or plugged in for charging of batteries or direct power to the motor and an operating mechanism for the tube and rod mentioned in claim 1 and 2 which operating mechanism consists of a series of gearwheels for which operation a clutch connected to the operating switch is sliding on a shaft which shaft together with the clutch constantly rotates when the drive motor is engaged by the operating switch in such a way that it may engage and rotate the tube with rod simultaneously or keeping the rod locked with attached mechanism when tube rotates and when clutch moved in opposite direction passing neutral position with the operating switch only the rod will rotate for retraction of the claws. 